Metacognition: Get Organized

With the assignment of this blog, I decided to take on a huge task that I've been meaning to tackle for a while: Organizing the explosion of clothes that is my closet. While I was ready to FINALLY get the thing organized, I was feeling a bit overwhelmed. My closet isn't very big, but I've managed to cram in more shirts, sweatshirts, pants, dresses, skirts, shoes, jackets, bags and other random items than you could ever imagine. My closet was literally on the verge of overflowing. I didn't use half of what was in it. I've never really felt the urge to clean up my closet, but I figured that organizing it certainly couldn't hurt.

Organizing my closet took more than two hours. Working on this project became quite a challenge. There were so many ways to approach it that I honestly didn't know where to begin. I moved everything out of my closet onto the floor of my room. Then I separated what I still used/what I still needed and what I could give away.  I stood staring at the piles of clothes and other random items for a few minutes before doing anything at all. But once I wrapped my mind around the situation, I took it one step at a time. After separating what I would keep and what I would give away, I organized everything on my floor into different categories (sweatshirts, scarves, shoes, etc.), and eventually put all of that neatly into my closet.

Despite the overwhelming feeling that I felt during the project, I felt extremely accomplished once I finished. Not only did I finally organize my closet (which my mom had been begging me to do for quite awhile), but I also filled two large bags with clothes to give away to charity, and found plenty of random items to reminisce about and be nostalgic over. I found a folder from my second grade class and read the class journal about field day and flag day. I also found a pillow case that my friends and I decorated on my 10th birthday. So, overall, this experience was both productive and enjoyable. My mind feels refreshed. As a whole, I feel more put together. How organizing a closet managed to produce these feelings, I'm not quite sure. But my life as a whole can become pretty unorganized, so my mind certainly feels more structured now that at least one thing in my life is organized. Besides finding out that my closet has a floor, this project helped me realize that cleaning things up isn't a hassle; it helps me stay organized and puts my mind at ease. This project has actually made me feel more in control. Even if the rest of my life is a stressful mess, at least I don't have to worry about finding my shoes or my sweatshirt. Organization is essential for a more orderly and productive life.